Gay rights activists hailed the ruling as a step toward ending the ban on same-sex marriage in the country. Fabrizio Marrazzo, from the group Gay Center, called the decision important and described it as saying "that gay couples must also enjoy the same legal rights as any heterosexual couple. The words are clear and sharp. Parliament and the government must give an answer." (Italian Supreme Court Rules on Gay-Family Rights, supra.)

The case had been brought by two men who married in The Hague in 2002; when they attempted to register the relationship in the small town near Rome in which they live, they were denied registration by the town council. The Supreme Court ruling did not overturn that council decision. (Italy Court Rules Gays Have Right to "Family Life," supra.)

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